deglutition

Definition

The act or process of swallowing.

Etymology

Borrowed from French déglutition or from Late Latin dēglūtītiō, from Latin dēglūtīre, dēgluttīre + -tiō (suffix forming nouns relating to actions or the results of actions). Dēgluttīre is derived from dēgluttiō (“to swallow down”), from dē- (prefix meaning ‘from, off’) + gluttiō (“to gulp down, swallow”) (from Proto-Indo-European *gʷel- (“throat”)).

Example Sentences

• "[T]he action of the gullet, that is deglutition, is performed and conſummated, the action being animall and partly Naturall."
• "The Uvula […] ſerves as an arched and ſlippery Bridge, exactly fitted every way to cover the convex Sides and Rima of the Glottis, for the Aliment to ſlide eaſily along in Deglutition; it prevents the Aliment from falling out of the Fauces into the Larynx in Deglutition; and being moved by its Muſcles, protruds the Aliment backward into the upper Part of the Fauces."
• "A man of the age of twenty-ſeven had a tubercle at the root of his tongue, for about ſix years; […] Deglutitions were rendered extremely difficult."